Fontius, Cows, and a New Look

Hey what’s this, a new look to the DenverInfill blog? Yep. Due to popular demand, I’ve converted the blog to a Blogger page, which will allow people to post comments, link directly to a post, email a post to a friend, and more. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s looking good enough to get it up and running. For now, the previous 13 months of blog entries will remain under the old format, accessible by the link to the left. Maybe, over the course of time, I’ll convert all the archived months to the new format, or maybe not. I haven’t decided yet. Anyway, I hope you like the new format and find it a bit more appealing. Now, on to the some Downtown business…

Everyone’s favorite Downtown eyesore, the Fontius Building, was recently the victim of a graffiti vandal. Normally, I would find this rather upsetting, but actually the graffiti reinforces how pathetic this building’s condition has become, and how critical it is for something to be done about it. Perhaps this graffiti will serve a positive purpose in that it will cause more people to become disgusted with the whole issue and demand that the city make this building’s rehabilitation a top priority. Let’s hope anyway.

Finally, it’s good to see Denver has finally come to terms with its cowtownedness!

One Comment

Ken
February 2, 2010 at 10:37 pm

Comments to this post from the previous Blogger version of the DenverInfill Blog:

Comments:
Mmm I love the new look!! Gotta just love that Fontius. I’m sure it will remain like that too.
Permalink Posted by Rob : 8/01/2006 06:20:00 AM
I really like the blue they chose on fontius. good work vandals!
Permalink Posted by joeindt : 8/01/2006 07:03:00 AM
I heard there is a law that property owners in Denver are responsible for having grafitti removed on their buildings. If this is true, I think maybe I’ll get myself some spray paint and send a polite message to Mr. Cook.
Permalink Posted by Tom J : 8/01/2006 08:04:00 AM
The grafitti appeared simultaneously with the cows? Perhaps it’s more than a coincidence: a criminal element among the cows?

A special legislative session is needed to address this emergency.
Permalink Posted by Tony : 8/01/2006 01:43:00 PM
It seems to me that the pealing paint – which probably has lead in it – would be a violation of either a health or building code. If so, what other violations are there and why isn’t the City enforcing the Code?
Permalink Posted by Webster : 8/02/2006 07:00:00 AM
Nice look, Ken. I love comments!
Permalink Posted by Frampton : 8/02/2006 09:20:00 AM
Was it you? Was it you? Was it? Be honest!

Actually, I think the city prefers the owner call the city’s graffiti abatement program and they’ll come out, take pictures of it, and then clean it up. They like to track graffiti vandalism.

And I think cows prefer to use block letters in their graffiti art. Though I’ve heard that webmasters and city planning types like that kind of artwork pictured. I’m just sayin’.
Permalink Posted by Ribeye : 8/02/2006 09:40:00 AM
Hey nice job on the new blog look and the new features.
Permalink Posted by Anonymous : 8/02/2006 10:12:00 AM
I pass the Pavillions twice every day, and I have never noticed the blue cow on the D. Wow.

Everytime I see the Fontius building I die a little, and then I remember Denver Infill, and then I’m ok.
Permalink Posted by Big Daddy : 8/03/2006 02:16:00 PM
I was hoping to see comments on denverinfill for some time. Thanks for the conversion! Fontius is a disgrace. I’ve noticed a lot of graffiti lately, notable covering street names on the signs above I-25 around downtown. Grrr. Anyway, the new blog looks great.
Permalink Posted by Todd A. Wells : 8/03/2006 04:20:00 PM
I actually think the graffiti improves the look of the building just a little. And it brings an even more “urban” feel to Denver’s downtown.

Those cows were all about Moscow in August. Except, in Moscow, they were Mastercard advertisements. I wonder who came up with it first?
Permalink Posted by Shawn : 8/10/2006 04:14:00 PM
There is precedent for turning up the heat on the Fontius ownership to take action. According to a Feb. 12 2004 Westword article on the Evans School, which has been vacant for over 30 years:

“On May 27 2003, the city’s Neighborhood Inspection Services division, which oversees 128 vacant properties in Denver, cited A&R Investments, owners of the Golden Triangle’s Evans School, for violating a rarely invoked building ordinance that prohibits owners from leaving a property unoccupied for three months without “evidence of substantial construction activity.” Although the city had fielded a smattering of complaints about the Evans School over the years — for things like graffiti and illegal use of barbed wire — this was the property’s first formal infraction.

‘It is not unlawful to own a vacant building,’ says Julius Zsako, an administrator with the planning department. ‘But people in the Golden Triangle are getting a little tired of the property, and so were some members of the council. The neighborhood is changing, and the patience of the neighbors is changing, so that what might have been acceptable a few years ago is no longer acceptable. I think we’ve raised the bar a bit.’ ”

Now that bar needs to be raised on 16th and Welton!
Permalink Posted by brandon twine : 8/11/2006 02:12:00 PM
By the way, I had sent a letter to Jeanne Robb a few weeks back regarding the Fontius. I finally got a letter and an email exchange dated August 4. The final response was from Ellen Itellson with Community Planning & Dev:

We are always appreciative of citizens who care about the appearance of Downtown. The Fontius Building is included in the Downtown Denver Historic District so the building cannot be demolished. The current owner, a family trust, has no plans for reinvestment or sale of the building. It is one of several historic buildings in Downtown that have not been well maintained. Allowing buildings to remain in this condition for a long period of time has been raised as an issue to be addressed in the Downtown Area Plan.

Ok, my thing is…why can’t the city do to the Cooks like it did to the owners of the Evans school??? I’m feeling there’s a need for further public outcry. If that includes sending letters to this family or even getting more people involved!! We should hold a rally right outside the building!!
Permalink Posted by Rob : 8/18/2006 07:08:00 PM